World in Focus

February 25, 2013 1:20 AM

Photo: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images

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China's Wang Hao eyes the ball as he hits a return to China's Yan An during the men's singles semi-final table tennis match of the ITTF Pro Tour Qatar Open on February 24, 2013 in the Qatari capital, Doha.

China's Wang Hao eyes the ball as he hits a return to China's Yan An during the men's singles semi-final table tennis match of the ITTF Pro Tour Qatar Open on February 24, 2013 in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Nuns wave during Pope Benedict XVI last Angelus Prayer on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on February 24, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday told tens of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter's Square in a voice breaking with emotion that he was resigning because God had called on him to devote himself to prayer but said he would not abandon the Church. less

Nuns wave during Pope Benedict XVI last Angelus Prayer on St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on February 24, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday told tens of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter's Square in a voice ... more

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his last Angelus noon prayer, from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Benedict XVI gave his pontificate's final Sunday blessing from his studio window to the cheers of tens of thousands of people packing St. Peter's Square, but sought to reassure the faithful that he wasn't abandoning the church by retiring to spend his final years in prayer. The 85-year-old Benedict is stepping down on Thursday evening, the first pope to do so in 600 years, after saying he no longer has the mental or physical strength to vigorously lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. less

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his last Angelus noon prayer, from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Benedict XVI gave his ... more

Photo: Andrew Medichini, Associated Press

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his blessing during his last Angelus... Photo-4245580.57377 - StamfordAdvocate

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Malian soldiers are pictured in the center of Gao on February 24, 2013. Tuareg militias battled Arab rebels in northern Mali Saturday, while French jets, US drones and Chad's elite desert forces were also in action in a major push to stamp out resistance from pockets of Islamist fighters. After recapturing the north's cities from the Al Qaeda groups that had controlled them since April 2012, the six-week-old French-led offensive took the fight to the retreating Islamist insurgents' toughest desert bastions. less

Malian soldiers are pictured in the center of Gao on February 24, 2013. Tuareg militias battled Arab rebels in northern Mali Saturday, while French jets, US drones and Chad's elite desert forces were also in ... more

Photo: Joel Saget, AFP/Getty Images

Malian soldiers are pictured in the center of Gao on February 24,... Photo-4245636.57377 - StamfordAdvocate

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Palestinians take cover during clashes with Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Hebron, following the death of Arafat Jaradat, a Palestinian prisoner held in an Israeli jail, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. The death of a 30-year-old Palestinian after interrogation by Israel's Shin Bet security service stokes new West Bank clashes, along with Israeli fears of a third Palestinian uprising. less

Palestinians take cover during clashes with Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Hebron, following the death of Arafat Jaradat, a Palestinian prisoner held in an Israeli jail, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. The ... more

Photo: Nasser Shiyoukhi, Associated Press

Palestinians take cover during clashes with Israeli troops in the... Photo-4243233.57377 - StamfordAdvocate

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Chinese entertainers prepare to be transported to a traditional Lantern Festival parade for the 15th day of the Lunar New Year which officially ends it's celebrations, in Nuanquan on February 24, 2013. The festival which dates back more than 2000 years to the Han Dynasty sees China's cities become a sea of lanterns and fireworks. less

Chinese entertainers prepare to be transported to a traditional Lantern Festival parade for the 15th day of the Lunar New Year which officially ends it's celebrations, in Nuanquan on February 24, 2013. The ... more

Photo: Mark Ralston, AFP/Getty Images

Chinese entertainers prepare to be transported to a traditional... Photo-4245568.57377 - StamfordAdvocate

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Models get ready backstage during the Emporio Armani Fall-Winter 2013-2014 Womenswear collection on February 24, 2013 during the Women's fashion week in Milan.

Models get ready backstage during the Emporio Armani Fall-Winter 2013-2014 Womenswear collection on February 24, 2013 during the Women's fashion week in Milan.

Palestinian relatives and friends mourn over the death of Arafat Jaradat, who died in an Israeli prison, after his body was handed over by Israeli authorities on February 24, 2013 at a hospital in the West Bank city of Hebron. Jaradat, 30, from Sair near Hebron in the southern West Bank, died the previous day in an Israeli jail from what prison authorities said appeared to have been a heart attack. less

Palestinian relatives and friends mourn over the death of Arafat Jaradat, who died in an Israeli prison, after his body was handed over by Israeli authorities on February 24, 2013 at a hospital in the West Bank ... more

Photo: Hazem Bader, AFP/Getty Images

Palestinian relatives and friends mourn over the death of Arafat... Photo-4245618.57377 - StamfordAdvocate

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Jewish settlers wear costumes as they celebrate the Jewish festival of Purim February 24, 2013 at the settlement outpost of Havat Gilad, West Bank. The carnival-like Purim holiday is celebrated with parades and costume parties to commemorate the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to exterminate them in the ancient Persian empire 2,500 years ago, as described in the Book of Esther. less

Jewish settlers wear costumes as they celebrate the Jewish festival of Purim February 24, 2013 at the settlement outpost of Havat Gilad, West Bank. The carnival-like Purim holiday is celebrated with parades and ... more

Indian devotees arrive to take a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges and Yamuna at the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Millions of Hindu pilgrims have been attending the Maha Kumbh festival, which is one of the world's largest religious gatherings that lasts 55 days and falls every 12 years. less

Indian devotees arrive to take a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the holy rivers Ganges and Yamuna at the Maha Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013. Millions of Hindu pilgrims have ... more

Photo: Rajesh Kumar Singh, Associated Press

Indian devotees arrive to take a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence... Photo-4245604.57377 - StamfordAdvocate

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A US soldier and Afghan security forces stand alongside the body of a suspected suicide bomber in Kabul on February 24, 2013. Afghan security forces on February 24 shot dead one suspected suicide bomber in a car near a construction site in Kabul's diplomatic enclave, a police official and an AFP photographer said. less

A US soldier and Afghan security forces stand alongside the body of a suspected suicide bomber in Kabul on February 24, 2013. Afghan security forces on February 24 shot dead one suspected suicide bomber in a ... more

A topless feminist is arrested by riot policemen outside the polling xtation where former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi casted his ballot on February 24, 2013 in Milan. Three topless feminists lunged at Italy's Silvio Berlusconi as he arrived at a polling station in Milan to vote in a general election on Sunday. The women had the slogan "Basta Berlusconi" scrawled on their backs. less

A topless feminist is arrested by riot policemen outside the polling xtation where former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi casted his ballot on February 24, 2013 in Milan. Three topless feminists lunged at ... more

Abu al-Yaman one of the commanders of Knights of the North brigade, speaks with his comrade through Skype at Jabal al-Zaweya in Idlib, Syria, Sunday Feb. 24, 2013. Syrian rebels used captured tanks to launch a fresh offensive on a government complex housing a police academy near Aleppo and clashed with government troops protecting the strategic installation on Sunday. less

Abu al-Yaman one of the commanders of Knights of the North brigade, speaks with his comrade through Skype at Jabal al-Zaweya in Idlib, Syria, Sunday Feb. 24, 2013. Syrian rebels used captured tanks to launch a ... more

Photo: Hussein Malla, Associated Press

Abu al-Yaman one of the commanders of Knights of the North brigade,... Photo-4245569.57377 - StamfordAdvocate